


acrophobic astronauts & moon-dust dragons

by Cerberus (Aki_Nakahara), Seokmonsters



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Best Friends Turned Lovers, M/M, Pining, Young Love, referenced homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-25 01:49:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9797147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aki_Nakahara/pseuds/Cerberus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seokmonsters/pseuds/Seokmonsters
Summary: They’ve known each other for countless summers, but finally they realize the butterflies—damselflies, Minseok interjects—in their stomachs are mutual.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I might have cried imagining Minseok in pink nail polish. Enjoy regardless—big thanks to K♡ for helping me pull through and to the mods.

It’s _that_ day again; _that_ infamous day when the Grades 2  & 3 would fight the Grades 4 & 5\. No-one was ever sure when the tradition started but it did and that was all that mattered. 

It’s silly, Lu Han thinks; but his bony limbs still lash out. Blood doesn’t spill—it never does, none of them are foolish enough to go that far—but playground insults are sneered and weak pushes shared. 

He’s small and skinny in comparison to the older grades that seem so buff. (They’re not, but he won’t realize it until later when he’s in high school and stares at the mischievous midgets that prowl primary.) 

Admittedly, the kids are lucky this time. The sun is shining because summer is nearing and the grass is starting to lose the bright, fresh green of spring. Their teachers are somewhere inside in the large complex that is their school; what they do during the fights is unknown and irresponsible. 

Lu Han wiggles his toes. If he’s fortunate, no-one will be in his cubby-hole. He never liked being part of the fights anyway. 

He pushes aside the potted plant that conceals the entrance. A pause. There’s someone staring back at him and he doesn’t know who it is. 

“What grade are you in?” Lu Han asks, voice reedy and young. 

The unknown boy blinks. “Three.” 

Lu Han picks a leaf out of his russet-colored hair and frowns. He still can’t pinpoint the name of the boy. Is he new? There are five Grade 3 classes. Lu Han is in Ms. Annette’s. 

He sticks his hand out. “I’m Lu Han,” he says. “Are you new?” 

“Minseok,” the boy answers softly. “Yes. I— I just joined Mr. Lee’s class.” 

Lu Han smiles widely. This Minseok— _Min-_ _seok_ , he pronounces carefully in his mind—has big cheeks. They jiggle a bit when he talks and Lu Han finds that funny. 

“So why are you here?” he asks, squatting beside Minseok. 

The chubby boy blinks owlishly. “They were fighting out there and this looked like a good place…” 

“Well,” Lu Han declares, “It’s _my_ place.” 

Minseok’s expression crumples. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles. 

“Don’t you have any friends?” 

Silence. Lu Han snaps his mouth shut. He feels bad now. Mom always told him to watch his mouth. He shuffles awkwardly. Minseok looks like he’s on the verge of crying. 

“Do you want to be friends?” Lu Han asks softly. 

Chubby boy peeks at him. The brunet boy tries to smile; and he’s sure it looks terrible but Minseok smiles too. His smile is all gums and teeth, cheeks bunched up and eyes curved. It’s cute, Lu Han thinks. Unlike his own. 

They’re going to be great friends. 

 

 

They spend their summer together—even though it’s practically summer all the time —playing pretend. Some days one of them is a knight that must venture bravely to fight a fearsome dragon; on others, they’re flying in their rocket ship to new worlds. 

Minseok always hates playing the dragon game. He doesn’t like being the knight and having to stab Lu Han but he also doesn’t like being stabbed; so it usually ends up with Lu Han the knight hugging a pouty, chubby dragon named Minseok. 

Everyone tells them it’s a weird friendship, what with them communicating in English and being so different from each other. Lu Han doesn’t think so. 

 

 

“When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut,” Lu Han says suddenly. 

Minseok stops chewing on his steamed bun. “Why? Aren’t you scared of heights?” 

“I won’t always be,” Lu Han huffs. 

They’re silent. The brunet flops around and changes his position so that he’s facing his best friend. 

“I’ll bring you moon-dust,” he says, “You’ll be the only dragon in the world with moon-dust.” 

The elder wrinkles his nose. “A moon-dust dragon?” 

“Yeah. You’ll be _super_ pretty.” 

Minseok giggles. 

 

 

“Oh my god, his peepee’s hard!” Jongdae yells. 

He’s pointing at Kevin, who’s flushing a bright scarlet. They’re by the pool and everything’s exposed in their swimwear—including, embarrassingly, their junk. 

Minseok stays on a chair in the shade, enveloped in a pristine white towel. Lu Han pulls himself out of the water, ignoring Kevin’s flustered responses to Jongdae’s comment. 

“Minseok? Aren’t you getting in?” he asks his friend. 

Said boy shakes his head. Lu Han pouts. 

“Why not?” 

There’s no answer but the brunet catches the way Minseok’s eyes flicker to his tummy. 

“You’re not fat!” Lu Han shouts. 

His friend flinches in surprise. 

“You’re round; you’re round and really, erm, cute,” he says. “Like a _baozi_.” 

Minseok wrinkles his nose and curls away. “You’re stupid.” 

Lu Han’s eyes widen comically. “You said the ‘S’ word!” 

He turns around, ignoring Minseok’s apology and runs off to his mom. His friend runs after. 

“ _Mom_ ,” he screeches, “Minseok called me stupid!” 

Said boy clings to Lu Han’s skinny arm, staring sweetly at Lu Han’s mom. She rolls her eyes at Lu Han’s antics. 

“Did he say sorry?” she asks in mandarin. 

Her son pouts. “Yeah, but—” 

“No ‘but’s. If he apologized, I’m sure he didn’t mean it badly. Now go swim a bit more and I’ll get you two an ice cream later.” 

“Thank you,” Minseok mumbles in accented Chinese. 

The black-haired boy’s delicate cheek presses against his friend’s shoulder. She smiles at him before promptly pinching his nose. 

“I want chocolate!” Lu Han shouts in English. 

She sends him a look. “ _After_ you swim.” 

He frowns and grabs Minseok’s hand. The younger boy pulls his friend along quickly, but not hard enough that he’s stumbling. 

Their moms watch fondly. 

 

 

Next year, on _that_ day, they’re part of the older bracket. Lu Han isn’t sure how to feel about their new position. Minseok hates it. 

The chubby boy tugs on Lu Han’s shirt, gesturing at the teachers walking past their hiding spot. 

“What’s going on?” the black-haired boy whispers to his friend. 

Lu Han lets Minseok cling, equally at a loss. 

“I think,” he starts, “I think they’re going to be in trouble.” 

The elder tightens his grip on his friend. “But not us.” 

A smile. The other boy turns to Minseok and pokes his forehead. 

“Nope,” Lu Han says. 

 

 

There’s a cafe named _Gasolina_ and all the kids host their birthday parties there. 

There’s also a silent understanding that no-one invites Lu Han without Minseok too and vice versa. 

It makes sense too, when the two of them sit in a corner on the grass with their party goodies. Their fingers are usually tangled together, lips pressed close to each other’s ears conspiratorially while their friends run around playing tag. 

 

 

The first time Lu Han sees a kiss on the lips, it’s on screen. It’s between a him and a her; she’s delicately beautiful and he’s ruggedly handsome. 

“ _I love you_ ,” he whispers to her afterwards. 

She blushes and hides her face, mumbling back, “ _I love you too_.” 

Lu Han is fascinated. 

 

 

“I saw this thing,” Lu Han says to his best friend the next day. “A kiss on the lips. Do you know what that is?” 

Minseok looks at him weirdly. “Yeah. I do.” 

He does? Lu Han feels a bit disappointed. He’s so used to telling Minseok things, not being behind. 

“Have you had one?” 

This time, his friend is silent. 

“Have you?” the black-haired boy finally responds. 

Lu Han frowns. “No.” 

The word hangs in silence for a bit. Minseok gnaws a bit on his lower lip. 

“Do you… do you want to try?” 

The younger tilts his head and frowns. “Yeah, but aren’t you supposed to do it with someone you like?” 

His best friend instantly recoils. _‘Someone you like’?_ Minseok thinks. Lu Han notices his blunder instantly. 

“Minseok, I’m sorry—“ 

“No, I get it! Like _like_ , right?” 

Lu Han nods. After a heartbeat, he frowns. 

“But we like each other, right? It’s fine?” 

Hesitant, Minseok leans in and presses his lips against Lu Han’s. 

They pull away after a few seconds. They’re too young to know what to do anyway. It felt nice though, the black-haired boy thinks. Lu Han’s lips are soft and he smells sweet. 

They don’t talk about it after that and forget about what transpired—kind of. It hurts Minseok a bit for reasons he doesn’t understand yet. 

 

 

When they graduate from Elementary, it’s uneventful but it doesn’t stop them from smiling at each other until their cheeks hurt and holding hands tight enough to squeeze whey out of cheese. 

Some of their friends are moving away, like Kevin (who’s going back to China) or Amber (who’s moving to America); but they have each other. 

“Do you have a crush on anyone?” Jongdae asks afterwards, sticking his pencil into the electric sharpener. 

Lu Han watches as the contraption swirls, shavings gathering. The question’s not directed towards him. It’s for Minseok; but for some reason, Lu Han is strangely curious about the answer. 

The not-so-chubby-anymore boy stalls. “Lauren,” he says at last. 

Lu Han knows Lauren, obviously. She’s a tall Irish girl with freckles and buckteeth. She’s loud. Lu Han never paid more attention to her than that before. 

If he presses his pen to the paper harder than usual, it’s no-one’s business. 

 

 

Minseok flexes his fingers as best as he can in Lu Han’s vise-like grip. In his other hand, he has the invitation to Lauren’s birthday party clutched tightly. 

His friend has been on edge all evening, muttering in mandarin—probably without even realizing it, the idiot. 

He loses Lu Han in the crowd later when it’s truth or dare. They dare Minseok to kiss Lauren; which he does even though they’re both crazy shy about it. His stomach churns uneasily during this kiss and this time, it’s not a pleasant sensation. All he can think about is where his idiot best friend is. 

And then it hits him like a (fire) truck that he might like Lu Han. 

 

 

It’s summer again and they’re at the beach, staying at some fancy resort. It’s only after they’re lathered in inches of sunscreen that their mothers allow them in the waters. 

They splash and they play water futsal because they can—no other reason. Maybe they’ll apply for the team when they get back home; despite the fact that Lu Han’s always had an interest in rugby too. 

But Minseok spends a lot of time watching his friend; watching the way water clings to his bony frame. It makes him feel tingly. 

 

 

“When summer ends, you’ll be at a different school,” his mother says to him as they’re driving home. 

He clutches his seashells tightly, frowning. “What? Why?” Minseok asks, shocked. 

There’s silence from the front of the car but eventually, whispered in his mother’s voice, he’s told that it’s because they’re facing problems. What kind of problems, he’s not sure of but he can guess. 

With a sniff, he sprawls over the backseat and bites his hand to anchor himself, _somehow_. 

 

 

ISC is the name of Minseok’s new school that year. It’s a new place with new faces and naturally, he’s scared. 

His mom helps him call Lu Han after his first day at school. There’s silence on the other side of the line. 

“ _I hate you_ ,” Lu Han tells him after Minseok’s poured out impression after impression. “ _Stop calling me_.” 

Why? The elder asks. What did I do? 

“ _You left me without saying anything_.” 

The words echo in his mind. The phone slips out of his hand. _I wanted to_ , Minseok wants to say, but his tongue feels heavy in his mouth. _Why didn’t I?_  

 

 

A girl confesses to him. He says yes. She’s really sweet but they don’t do much—nervous glances, shared chocolates and one peck on the cheek. It feels nothing like what he felt for Minseok. 

They break it off soon after that. 

 

 

Minseok stumbles onto the ground in the warm monsoon rain. He pulls his knees close to his chest, noticing dazedly that his clothes are soaked.  Tears streak down his face and mingle with the rain. 

His face is tipped up to the sky as the hood of his raincoat slips off. It feels like one ridiculous movie; but it’s not and his mouth tastes bitter despite the candy he ate recently. 

Classmates hurry around him, bags jostling—not that they’d help if he asked. _Kim Minseok_ , the rich kid. _Kim Minseok_ , the gay. _Kim Minseok_ , the teacher’s pet. 

He pushes himself off the ground and his scraped knees sting. He wipes his cheeks. 

 

 

There’s a pat on his shoulder. His head snaps up in the direction. 

He’s greeted with the sight of a smile; a smile with lips upturned in a familiar Cheshire fashion. Jongdae. Minseok’s eyes widen and he gets up to hug his former classmate. Then he spots the person behind him. His mouth runs dry. 

His ex–best friend doesn’t look him in the eye. 

His hair’s no longer the shade of auburn the black-haired teen remembers; instead it’s a honeyed yellow and straightened. There’s a new scar beneath his lower lip and Lu Han’s taller than him now too—slender and handsome. 

Minseok tears his gaze away. 

Somehow, their memories— _their kiss, his feelings_ —linger unmentioned between the air they share. It’s been four years since they’ve last seen each other. 

It _had_ to happen eventually. The city is small, the population low, and actual places to hang out at even scarcer. 

And still, he can’t catch his breath. It feels like it is robbed from him, the pressure heavy on his chest. 

They’re not–strangers. 

 

 

“We’ll all get together again, yeah? Been a while,” Jongdae says as he waves the piece of paper with a phone number scrawled neatly on it. 

They’ve been sitting around a small coffee table for twenty tense minutes. Minseok smiles weakly back. Lu Han stares holes at the ground. Jongdae narrows his eyes at his friends and fishes out a yellow candy from his jacket, holding it out to Minseok. 

“Here,” he calls out, “Sugus? Do you still like sugus?” 

The black-haired teen takes the candy, smile twitching a bit. “Thank you. I’ll text you,” he responds before he turns and leaves them both. 

Both of them stare after him. 

“He doesn’t like the pineapple ones,” Lu Han says suddenly. 

Jongdae raises an eyebrow and says nothing. He glances down at the paper in his hands, eventually stuffing it in his pocket. 

Four years and Lu Han still remembers. Inwardly, Jongdae sighs. 

“You still care for him,” he says to his newly-blond friend. 

It prompts the knee-jerk reaction he was expecting; Lu Han’s face scrunching up and fists clenching. His friend opens his mouth to retort but Jongdae speaks over him. 

“You can deny it all you want but remembering such a small detail about someone from four years ago is impressive.” 

“We’re _teenagers_.” 

“So?” Jongdae snaps. “Get your butthurt blondie head out of the sand. You missed him, even though you deny it, so here’s your chance.” 

Lu Han visibly sags and wilts. Jongdae softens a bit. He could fill the best friend spot only so well for Lu Han, he’d known that since the beginning. 

He adds, “At least get your best friend back, if not a boyfriend.” 

He offers a smile—which Lu Han doesn’t reciprocate, too deep in his brooding. 

 

 

Minseok’s mother hands him his lunch and pats his hands. 

“I got in touch with Lu Han’s mother and she told me that you two bumped into each other,” she murmurs. “Stay in touch, will you? He’s a good boy. It’s been so long.” 

His nod is jerky but she doesn’t appear to notice it; or if she does, she doesn’t mention it. 

“Maybe we’ll even visit the seaside again with them. Won’t that be fun? Your father will have a— Minseok? Minseok, what are you—” 

He climbs out of the car onto the cracked sidewalk, despite her calls after him. His chest grows weighty with each step towards his school. 

 

 

They’re perched rather awkwardly next to each other as Jongdae screams at a boy named Eugene for: “not being able to control your hormones on the pitch, _you_ _asswipe_.” 

“Do you still play football?” Lu Han suddenly asks. 

The other teen blinks and nods. 

“You any good?” 

Minseok wrinkles his nose. “I could dance circles around you.” 

“I’m a pretty decent dancer myself,” Lu Han fires back. 

Their banter is fragile as they’re both hesitant but then the blond pulls out a football from under the bench and before they know it, they’re both sprawled on the pitch, panting. Lu Han wins. 

 

 

“You’re gay?” 

Minseok freezes, lollipop grating uncomfortably against his teeth. His palms grow clammy so he rubs them against his bare thighs; and all of a sudden, he’s far more aware of his pastel yellow shorts and the lip gloss on his lips. Gay _and_ effeminate. 

“I am,” he answers after a beat with the question _‘what’s it to you?’_ lacing his tone. 

His heart thumps uncomfortably in his chest. A part of him is scared at what their reactions may be but the other side of him doesn’t care—that’s what he says but he really cares. With bated breath, he glances at his friends. 

Jongdae raises his hands with a shrug before casting a quick look in Lu Han’s direction. “Just wanted to clarify. Hey, did you know—” 

Lu Han cuts in, “Does it matter, Jongdae? Just let Minseok be and make your move.” 

The blond jerks his head towards the neglected chessboard between them. Jongdae groans. 

Minseok listens to them speak, stares at the slope of Lu Han’s nose and the glimmer in his eyes. His heart thumps. 

There are still damselflies— _damselflies_ because those are his favorite, more than butterflies—that flit nervously every time those eyes meet his or he smiles that ridiculous smile where his jaw unhinges and his eyes bunch up. 

Minseok feels like an idiot. 

 

 

He’s back. 

Lu Han breathes in the salty air while burrowing his toes into the sand. It’s been so long since he’s stepped on this shore, since he’s been at this resort; and he knows why. 

“Han!” 

His mother waves at him, other hand struggling to keep her long beach dress out of the sand. He holds back a faint laugh as he watches her walk up to him. 

“Han, guess who we bumped into!” 

Her hands are waving excitedly and he glances behind her, where she’s gesticulating. He recognizes the family instantly. Minseok’s. 

The pebble in his hand slips and his heart clenches—just a bit. He doesn’t look away as he lets a small smile, tentative as it may be, grace his lips. They’re back. 

 

 

“Do you want to get sugarcane juice?” he asks Minseok. 

Their parents have left momentarily to reserve a table on the terrace at the sushi place that overlooks the sea. It’s not like they’re completely alone; there’s a hotel security guard that glances over at them once in a while. 

The elder sinks his fingers into the sand with a nod. “Yeah. Sure.” 

Lu Han reaches out before stilling. His breath catches in his throat. In the pit of his stomach, there’s that familiar fluttering. 

With a nervous lick of his lips, his arm slips around Minseok’s waist and his skin tingles. 

 

 

“I’m in the school band, you know that?” Lu Han murmurs, gnawing on his lower lip. 

The black-haired teen raises an eyebrow. “Yeah? What’s your position?” 

“I play the flute.” 

Minseok’s lips spread into one of his smiles with the top lip disappearing, gums rising from the depths, and eyes crinkling. He wiggles his bubblegum-pink toenails, staring at Lu Han’s hand as it moves. It suddenly stills, reaching out to smack his leg. 

“Yah! Don’t move. I’m trying to paint them nicely.” 

“You’re doing fantastic, Lu Han,” he calls out, making a face. 

The younger boy’s eyes stay glued to his feet. “I am. I’ll have you know I’m also a prodigy in flute-blowing. What about you?” 

“Just a nerd.” 

There’s something about the way Minseok avoids his gaze and the toneless manner he says the words. He’s not happy there. 

“Oh.” Lu Han’s eyebrows furrow. “Is it bad? Why don’t you change schools?” 

There’s no reply. 

“You can move to Northbridge, maybe? That’s where I am now,” the blond presses on. 

“You paint nails like shit,” Minseok answers abruptly instead after a few moments of silence. 

“I don’t do this often, Minseok.” 

“Well, you will.” 

He glances up. “For you?” 

“For me,” the black-haired teen affirms. 

Lu Han doesn’t respond. After a long silence of staring at his best friend’s messy mop of hair, the elder sighs. 

“You want to know what’s wrong?” Minseok bites his lip, barreling on, “It never… occurred to me that there would be something wrong in liking boys.” 

Lu Han glances up at him, fingers still clutched around the nail polish applicator. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah. I guess I realized how I felt when I was younger. I didn’t look at girls much; but you know what? Whatever. I’m gay.” He shrugs. 

“Is there anything else?” 

Minseok shakes his head. “I’d rather not think about it.” 

“All right.” Lu Han bites his tongue, nodding. 

He drags the brush over small toenails and winces when he gets some polish on skin. Damn, he’s bad.  He pauses as thoughts flash through his mind. How to comfort Minseok? 

“If it… comforts you, I’m not in the school band anymore,” Lu Han starts. At the elder’s inquisitive glance, he continues, “They kicked me out because of my flute-playing; said it was _tragic_.” He pauses. “So I lied to you, sorry. I’m not a flute-playing or nail-painting prodigy but that doesn’t make me any less of the person I am, does it?” 

His best friend gazes silently at him. Lu Han cracks a faint smile. 

“Do you remember that day we were at the pool but you didn’t want to get in; and I told you that you weren’t fat?” 

A nod. 

“I still like you just the way you are; and I think you should cut people out of your life who don’t feel the same. Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind, right?” 

Lu Han’s cheeks are flushed slightly and his doe-like eyes grow even wider as he talks; not that he notices it. Minseok smiles. His chest feels warm. 

“I…” the blond breaks off to swallow. “I just think that you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable in your skin just to please others, Seok. You’re most important. And there’s someone who likes y—“ 

His voice dies in his throat as the elder squishes his cheeks. 

“You’re rambling, stupid.” He rolls his eyes at Lu Han’s offended huff. 

“I _care_.” 

“I know. I’ll be fine. You’re the lost deer anyway.” 

Lu Han groans. “Stop! That was once; _one_ time I get lost and you guys—“ 

Minseok grins seconds before he pushes himself off the chair to skip away. 

“Minseok! Wait! The top coat!” his friend screams after him, waving a magazine. 

He laughs and his entire body feels bubbly, filled with damselflies dancing under his skin. It’s a beautiful evening despite the mosquitoes he knows will be out and it’s practically something out of—dare he say—tumblr. 

Lu Han’s hand closes around his wrist. (His heart putters in his chest.) 

 

 

He knocks the bottom of the bottle against Lu Han’s shoulder, chipped nail polish gleaming under the sun. His friend looks up from the screen of his phone and smiles widely at Minseok. 

“Did you get me forest fruits?” he asks, reaching for the bottled tea to turn it over. 

“I got you whatever they had,” Minseok answers his younger friend. 

Minseok sits down on the grass beside him, setting down a box of blueberries, and ruffles Lu Han’s honey-hued curls despite his protests. The younger boy makes a disgruntled face before taking a swig from his tea. 

Lu Han’s expression contorts. “Ugh— it’s gross.” 

“Then go get it yourself,” the elder says. 

The blond whines. Minseok laughs as he allows himself to fall backwards, cushioned by the grass. He closes his eyes, the sunshine filtering through the leaves and lighting up the insides of his eyelids a bright crimson. Lu Han’s juvenile curses fill the grove. 

It feels like eons later that Minseok wakes up; and of course he finds his cheek pressed against the blond’s neck and their fingers are tangled together on Lu Han’s football-toned thigh. It’s quiet again. 

“You didn’t wake me up?” he mumbles as he blinks blearily. 

Lu Han runs his fingers through his best friend’s hair and shrugs. “I thought you needed a nap. It’s only been twenty minutes, don’t worry.” 

“Oh? Thanks.” 

The blond teen picks up a leaf, twining it around his index finger. He drops it in Minseok’s black hair. 

“Yeah,” he says mildly, “Anytime.” 

Minseok smiles widely, gummy and all. Lu Han bites his lip and turns his head away. It feels like he has little birds or butterflies flitting nervously in his abdomen whenever he sees Minseok’s smile. He swallows nervously.  

“What are you doing for college?” the blond asks, bringing the bottle’s mouth to his pursed lips. 

“I’m not sure. Something to do with psychology though but I’m not sure yet.” 

“I want to go to Europe.” 

“Why Europe?” 

His friend shrugs again. “I like it there.” 

“I think you should become an astronaut and get me that moon-dust you promised me six years ago,” Minseok states as he pops a blueberry in his mouth. 

“It’s called ‘lunar soil’, you heathen, and it’s ugly,” Lu Han retorts _. You’re too lovely for it_. 

The black-haired teen rolls his eyes but his expression softens. “Are you still scared of heights?” 

“Terrified.” 

There’s a grimace and Minseok laughs, hugging his friend tightly. “First acrophobic astronaut—and the best.” 

Lu Han tosses his tea at his best friend. There’s a manly shriek; but the sound’s not from Minseok because he soon has the rascal of a deer in a headlock, screaming like a mandrake. 

But he lets him go eventually and plops his head on his best friend’s lap, stretching like a cat. “I really want that moon-dust,” Minseok mumbles drowsily. 

Lu Han glances down at his best friend, eyes practically oozing fondness—he can feel it, he’s almost embarrassed—and admires the sight even as he’s messaging his neck. 

“I’ll get it for you,” he promises. 

If there’s anything, it’s that Lu Han’s diligent in upholding his promises and Minseok’s lips curl up into a faint but smug smile. “Thank you, Peter Pan.” 

“Yeah,” the blond says mildly, “Anytime.” 

They listen to the sound of the wind and the leaves rustling. Slender fingers card through black locks. 

“Lu Han?” the elder calls out softly. 

His best friend looks down abruptly, eyes sparkling. “Yeah?” 

A bite of his lip. “Can you kiss me?” 

Lu Han’s mind short-circuits. His heart skipped a beat, he realizes faintly. 

“Yeah,” the blond breathes out. “Of course.” 

Minseok reels back a bit. “Are you— are you sure?” 

He responds instead by cupping the elder’s nape and pressing their soft lips together, eyes closed. It takes a bit but eventually Minseok relaxes too, even responding to the kiss. It’s gentle, slow and undeniably chaste. 

“Minseok, yes,” Lu Han whispers into the kiss, nose brushing over the tender skin of his best friend’s face, “Seokkie, I like _like_ you.” 

Warm puffs of breath fan over skin as Minseok dips his head for a brief peck before he pulls back, biting his lips. 

The blond barrels on, “I tried to tell you before, but you cut me off, you impatient cat. But there’s something else too… I’ve wanted to say— I’m sorry… for when I said I hated you all those years ago.” 

The elder is silent. Lu Han started tearing up halfway through his monologue, fat tears dripping down his cheeks, but Minseok doubts he even noticed. 

“I’m sorry; I’m so sorry, Minseok. I never hated you.” He breaks off, licking his lips of his tears. 

Minseok slaps him just hard enough to stun him into silence with a breathless laugh and hand curling to cup his face. “You stupid, stupid deer, you don’t have to apologize to me.” 

Stunned, his best friend stares at him. “Why not?” 

The fingers of his other hand catch in the fabric of Lu Han’s loose white shirt. “Because… Lu Han… I like _like_ you too,” he says quietly. 

“Yeah?” Lu Han’s eyes widen. 

The damselflies flutter nervously in Minseok’s abdomen. A part of him is scared; but he thinks that’s all right. It’s Lu Han after all. 

“I— I might even love you,” the black-haired teen finds himself saying. “And I want to be with you.” 

They may be teenagers with their whole lives in front of them but this is their _now_. So what if maybe Minseok’s cheeks flush at his stumble and Lu Han’s smile is a bit too wide. So what if it feels like one big cliché. 

Air whooshes out of him as his best friend pins him down. 

“We’ll get married too, right?” the blond half-jokes. 

“You’re ruining the moment, Lu Han.” Minseok crinkles his nose and says, “So just kiss me.” 

So Lu Han does. Minseok technically didn’t say no. 

 

 

It’s _that_ day again. 

( _Look where we are now_ , Lu Han whispers to Minseok as he strokes his side absently.) 

The paper of their lanterns crackles a bit under their soft hands. The air smells of the sea—but really, all Lu Han can sense is Minseok’s blueberry shampoo. Stars shine in the sky brighter than either of them has seen in their lives before. 

As their parents take pictures, the boys stare at the sea (and each other). If they hold each other’s hands in this darkness then their parents won’t even notice. The blond leans in for a kiss from his boyfriend under the lanterns’ light with a timid smile. 

Their lanterns are launched; yellow a stark contrast against the dark blue of the starry sky; and it’s inevitable that those lanterns carry promises along with wishes. It’s different now anyway. They’re not kids anymore—at least, that’s how they feel—and everything feels so much more intimate, significant. 

Their fingers lace together, skin to skin. Minseok will join Northbridge when the monsoon season ends. It’s one of their promises—written in their hearts, the rising lanterns, and their linked hands. They don’t know about their future beyond that. 

But for now, it’s late summer and the sun’s scorch has begun to wane; if the fading burn on Minseok’s nose is anything to go by. They’ll buy palm sugar candy wrapped in a leaf for the price of a dollar, eat questionable food from street stalls, and everything will be just right. 


End file.
